ARAFAT, 20 January 2005 — A white sea of the faithful flowed to the plains of Arafat under cold, breezy and overcast conditions as dawn broke on the second day of the five-day pilgrimage yesterday. Waves of men in seamless white robes and women in flowing overalls joined voices in a crescendo chanting “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik” (Here I am O God, answering your call).
The pilgrims, their eyes wet with tears, prayed for peace everywhere on the most critical day of the Haj as the words of the grand mufti echoed from the loudspeakers. Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh cautioned the Ummah against the conspiracies being hatched against them and their religion.
“Oh Muslim nation, there are campaigns waged against the people of Islam,” he said at the majestic Nimrah Mosque. “They are all against this religion. They are against this nation. They describe us as terrorists and backward. Beware of their conspiracies and close in your ranks,” he said. The sheikh urged Muslims to abide by the words of God and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). “The greatest test for the Muslim nation is its own sons going astray.”
In an oblique reference to youths who have taken up arms, he said: “Do not allow yourselves to be used by enemies of the nation to weaken it. The greatest affliction to strike the nation of Islam came from some of its own sons, who were lured by the devil. They have called the nation infidel, they have shed protected blood and they have spread vice on earth, with explosions and destruction and killing of innocents.”
The grand mufti asked them: “How would you meet God? With innocent blood you shed or helped shed?”
Tears rolled down the cheeks of pilgrims as they climbed Jebel Al-Rahmah or Mount of Mercy, where Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon 14 centuries ago. The mount was flooded by pilgrims who sat or stood there for hours contemplating and praying.
Standing at Mount Arafat in prayer before sunset on Dul Hijjah 9 is the high point of the Haj. The pilgrims who fail to make it on time must come for Haj again.
In his last sermon, the Prophet said: “All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over a white — except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not therefore do injustice to yourselves. Remember one day you will meet Allah and answer your deeds. So beware: Do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.”
“This is amazing,” a Tanzanian pilgrim said. “Look at this crowd answering God’s call, 1,400 years after the Prophet, the nation is alive and well.”
“I prayed for peace and prosperity of my country, in particular, for Darfur,” said a Sudanese, Ismail Taha.
“Hundreds of people have lost their lives in Darfur. Now this fighting among the rival groups must stop once and for all so that we live in peace and security and our country prospers,” Taha said. “I performed the religious rites smoothly and mostly trouble-free. Still, I cannot believe that I have performed one of the most important rituals of Haj and showed my gratitude to Almighty,” said Col. Saifuddin from Pakistan.
“I also prayed for my country to emerge stronger as a nation,” Saif said.
Bakr Al-Haroon, a Makkan who was formerly employed with the Saudi Telecom Company, said: “I prayed for the well-being of the Muslim community. We are going through a very bad time. Everywhere Muslims and Arabs are suffering. I asked Allah to strengthen their hands to make them strong. In Palestine, in Iraq, in Kashmir. May Allah help them all,” he said raising his hands in prayer.
Saad Hamdoun from Doha, Qatar, said: “This reminds me of the Day of Judgment where we will all be gathered together dressed in simple white garb made up of two pieces of cloth so that a prince and a pauper are indistinguishable, a nobleman and a slave are side by side, an illiterate and an intellectual are in the same class, color and race do not matter, nothing matters on this day except your good deeds,” he said. “But I feel lonely, all alone, as we all will be on the Day of Reckoning,” he added.
The arrangements of the Ministry of Health were amazing. It has established 50 medical centers in Arafat with over 12 doctors and 40 paramedics in each center to take care of the pilgrims. Dr. Rasheed Subhi, a doctor with the MOH said that his center alone received 6,000 cases since morning. “We treated about 6,000 pilgrims of chest pain, headache and fatigue,” Subhi said.
The pilgrims left Arafat after sunset, moving to Muzdalifa where they will spend the night following in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad. They will also collect pebbles from Muzdalifa to stone Jamrat in Mina at dawn today in a ritual symbolizing the stoning of the devil.
Thousands of police were stationed along the routes to Arafat and helicopters hovered overhead. The pilgrimage proceeded without incident under the watchful eyes of thousands of police and troops. Police patrols organized traffic and the movement of pilgrims as helicopters hovered above.
